How To Improve This Cake?

Hi everyone, i have a boys 1st birthday cake to do in January... its my first official cake in my new business so i want it to be as good as it can be. the order is for a vanilla sponge with jam and buttercream iced in fondant - two tier and it has to have dolly mixtures (little coloured sweets) on it. this is what ive come up with so far on my dummys - any tips for how to improve it?

I think it looks awesome!! Where did you feel like something was missing?? If it's the bottom tier, maybe you could just add some more stripes to it, making them closer together...but I think the borders around the bottom make it not seem like it's too plain. I love the cake!!

I think your cake is great! I like the idea of adding a bit more to the bottom layer though and I'm kind of partial to covering the cake board. I think it just takes cakes to another level. I was thinking of yellow for that, but if you did yellow stripes on the bottom layer, that might be too much yellow!

I agree too that something is missing. I think it's because the cake doesn't appear 100% balanced. It's bit top heavy. I would either do as suggested and add another strip between the blue ones you already have on the bottom tier or take some accents off of the top tier. Either way would look good as your borders look great! I really like the banner type thingy (sorry I can't think what to call it right now) that you have under the writing but I agree that it would probably look better if you covered the whole thing.

Overall I think it looks great and I think the customer would love it as is too!

Keep us posted.....

Edited to add:

I was just looking at one of the picks again and I think that maybe if you took off the dots from the top of the top tier and the little bear accents on the side it might look good too. Also you could try either using the same size for the all the stripes around the bottom tier or alternating between thick and thin. You could also see if you prefer it using straight strips or the ones you are already using.

Of course this is assuming you have time to play and you want to try a few different things with your dummy cakes.

It looks a little to busy if you know what I mean. I think it looks good and you should stop adding stuff to it and maybe take something off. Maybe the cut out bears. Personally I would put a number 1 on one of the wires just so its more memorable.

Thanks everyone, im seriously considering covering the cake boards, having seen a few in books, i agree it really takes it to another level - ok its more expensive but still, i just want it to look perfect.

Think i will take a couple of spots and the bears off and put yellow stripes on the bottom and cover the board (dont know what colour yet....)

10 minutes later.......

Actually just having looked at it again, i think il definititly simplify it further - im going to have a white bottom tier with yellow and blue stripes, blue top tier with yellow and white spots (with maybe one or two little chocolate brown ones) and cover the board in white with blue writing (il make all the blue a couple of shades darker rather than using two colours of blue).

I think my problem with the cake is that i didnt think it was cohesive and there was too much going on - its the dolly mixtures being all different colours and having no blue ones that threw me and made me use too many different coloured spots, etc. The top and the bear will all stay the same. the balls round the edges will be blue, yellow and white with the dolly mixtures interspersed.